Head to head
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ vs Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
Same comparison whichever way you searched it: Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel vs La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+.
The bottom lineLa Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ does more across the board (it leads on oil-control & blemishes, anti-aging), while Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is the simpler, more pared-back pick.
Reach for La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ if you want the actives; Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.
Answer nine questions and the app picks between them for your skin.
Cost per use
€0.20 an applicationabout 80 uses from 100 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €16 as read in September 2026 and a 100 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.20 an application, about 80 uses from 100 ml.
- Long & Finlay 1991, Clin Exp Dermatol: face and neck 2.5 fingertip units (PMID 1806320, abstract read)
- Long, Finlay & Averill 1992, Arch Dermatol: 4 hand areas = 2 FTU = 1 g (PMID 1497374)
- Finlay, Edwards & Harding 1989, Lancet: the fingertip unit defined (PMID 2567912, a letter)
- density taken as 1 g per ml: assumed, as on the sunscreen calculator
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
€0.22 an applicationabout 40 uses from 50 ml
measured: 2.5 fingertip units for face and neck, about 1.25 g; from €9 as read in September 2026 and a 50 ml pack.
how this is counted
About €0.22 an application, about 40 uses from 50 ml.
- Long & Finlay 1991, Clin Exp Dermatol: face and neck 2.5 fingertip units (PMID 1806320, abstract read)
- Long, Finlay & Averill 1992, Arch Dermatol: 4 hand areas = 2 FTU = 1 g (PMID 1497374)
- Finlay, Edwards & Harding 1989, Lancet: the fingertip unit defined (PMID 2567912, a letter)
- density taken as 1 g per ml: assumed, as on the sunscreen calculator
- Measured or assumed: the rule, and the dose table
Per application, La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the cheaper: €0.20 against €0.22.
Which should you pick?
Pick Cicaplast Baume B5+ if
- you are dealing with breakouts and oiliness
- fine lines and firmness are the goal
- your skin is sensitive or reacts to fragrance
Pick Hydro Boost Water Gel if
- you want the more affordable option
- your breakouts are the fungal kind (Malassezia): nothing on its label was measured to feed the yeast
- you prefer a simpler, more minimal formula
What each delivers
Side by side
| Cicaplast Baume B5+ | Hydro Boost Water Gel | |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Moisturizer | Moisturizer |
| Key actives | Glycerin, Shea Butter, Pro-vitamin B5 | Glycerin, Hyaluronic acid |
| Texture | A rich, cushiony cream that sinks in slowly. | A smooth, silky lotion that spreads easily and leaves a soft, near-blurred finish. |
| Fragrance | None detected | Contains fragrance |
| Feeds Malassezia | 1 measured / none inferred | none measured / 2 inferred |
| Pregnancy | No flagged actives | No flagged actives |
| Ingredients | 33 listed | 20 listed |
| Price | ~€16 | ~€9 |
What's in one but not the other
The two labels share 2 of the 51 ingredients between them. The actives are where they part company.
What each one adds acts on The stratum corneum, Not established for La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ and The stratum corneum for Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel. That is the layer each is understood to act on, not how deep it travels.
Only in La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
Both
Only in Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is a different bottle only for: hyaluronic acid.
Which keeps longer
a tube and one light-sensitive active: the packaging is doing work here.
where this comes from
The pack form is read off the packshot; the light-sensitive actives are the base's photostability rows, sourced on each glossary page; the period after opening is not read yet. Catalogue checked September 2026.
a jar and nothing on this label that light breaks; the period after opening not read yet.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is the one to keep if you use it slowly: a jar, nothing on this label that light breaks.
Where each label stops telling you the dose
Ingredients are listed in order of how much is inside, but only down to 1%. Below that the brand may list them in any order it likes, so the bottom of a label is a set, not a ranking. These two stop being a ranking in very different places.
La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
ordered for its first 91%
- 1Aqua/Water/Eau
- 2Hydrogenated Polyisobutene
- 3Dimethicone
- 4Glycerin
- 5Butyrospermum Parkii Butter/Shea Butter
- 6Panthenol
- 7Zea Mays Starch/Corn Starch
- 8Propanediol
- 9Butylene Glycol
- 10Cetyl PEG/PPG-10/1 Dimethicone
- 11Trihydroxystearin
- 12Centella Asiatica Leaf Extract
- 13Polymnia Sonchifolia Root Juice
- 14Zinc Gluconate
- 15Madecassoside
- 16Manganese Gluconate
- 17Alpha-Glucan Oligosaccharide
- 18Silica
- 19Aluminum Hydroxide
- 20Magnesium Sulfate
- 21Mannose
- 22Capryloyl Glycine
- 23Caprylyl Glycol
- 24Vitreoscilla Ferment
- 25Citric Acid
- 26Trisodium Ethylenediamine Disuccinate
- 27Lactobacillus
- 28Acetylated Glycol Stearate
- 29Maltodextrin
- 30Polyglyceryl-4 Isostearate
- 31Tocopherol
- 32Pentaerythrityl Tetra-Di-T-Butyl Hydroxyhydrocinnamate
- 33CI 77891/Titanium Dioxide
3 of 33 sit below the line, marked by Tocopherol.
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
ordered for its first 20%
- 1Water
- 2Dimethicone
- 3Glycerin
- 4Dimethicone/Vinyl Dimethicone Crosspolymer
- 5Phenoxyethanol
- 6Polyacrylamide
- 7Cetearyl Olivate
- 8Sorbitan Olivate
- 9Dimethiconol
- 10C13-14 Isoparaffin
- 11Dimethicone Crosspolymer
- 12Chlorphenesin
- 13Carbomer
- 14Laureth-7
- 15Sodium Hyaluronate
- 16Ethylhexylglycerin
- 17Fragrance
- 18C12-14 Pareth-12
- 19Sodium Hydroxide
- 20Blue 1
16 of 20 sit below the line, marked by Phenoxyethanol.
Below the line is not too little to work: ceramides, retinoids and peptides all act far under a percent. It means the position stops carrying information. Where the line falls is inferred from the first ingredient whose whole job is done at a fraction of a percent, so it is a close read of the label rather than a number from the formula sheet.
The molecule doing the work
Better for…
- Fine lines & firmnessCicaplast Baume B5+
- Breakouts & congestionCicaplast Baume B5+
- Dryness & dehydrationEither works
- Sensitive, reactive skinCicaplast Baume B5+
Who each suits
- La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+
- dry, sensitive, normal · avoid with acne-prone skin, fungal acne prone, very oily skin and very sensitive skin
- Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel
- dry, normal
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is the cheaper of the two (~€9 vs ~€16).
Ready to pick one?
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Common questions
Is La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ or Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel better for fine lines & firmness?
For fine lines & firmness, La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ is the stronger pick by our read of the two formulas. La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ does more across the board (it leads on oil-control & blemishes, anti-aging), while Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is the simpler, more pared-back pick. Reach for La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ if you want the actives; Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel if you want fewer ingredients doing less, gently.
Which is cheaper, La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ or Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel?
Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel is the cheaper of the two (~€9 vs ~€16).
Can I use La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Baume B5+ and Neutrogena Hydro Boost Water Gel together?
They are both moisturizers, so you would normally pick one rather than layer both in the same step. You can keep both and alternate them (morning and night, or on different days) if you like variety, but you do not need two.
Compare it with…
36 duels are built for this moisturizer, Cetaphil Moisturizing Cream and CeraVe Moisturizing Cream among them: type a name, or pick one below.